A global manufacturer of compressors, blowers, pumps and vacuum products will cut emissions by 60% this year, seven years ahead of its environment target.
Ingersoll Rand will achieve the milestone at its Elmo Rietschle plant in Bad Neustadt, Germany, thanks to innovative solar-powered technology worth over $1 million. The plant will finalise the significant installation of a photovoltaic system this summer. Containing 2,796 modules and spanning 10,000 square metres, the system will be connected to the factory roof by a specially selected panel supplier who has extensive experience of undertaking projects on this scale.
It is expected that around 5.66 MWp of CO2-neutral solar energy will be generated daily in summer and around 566 kWp in winter, enough to power the entire facility and provide a surplus of 500,000 MW, which the company will supply to the local community via the public grid. The photovoltaic system is capable of generating up to 1GW of solar energy per year.
The project demonstrates Ingersoll Rand’s commitment to improving its environmental impact and will aid the company’s mission to ‘Make Life Better’ for all, taking the company from a consumer to a producer of electricity, most notably renewable power.
Additional sustainability credentials of the initiative include 500 tonnes per year of CO2 savings, as well as 10,000 square metres of surrounding green land which has been preserved thanks to the roof-top installation.
The design phase was quickly approved internally within one week by CEOs, a testament to their commitment to climate action. Planning permission and certifications from local power suppliers took a further three months, including assessments to ensure the roof could withstand the additional weight of the large panels. Finally, the execution stage is scheduled to be completed within six months; less than a year from start to finish in total.
Along with a dedication to protecting natural resources, Ingersoll Rand recognises the importance of corporate social responsibility to customers and as such, reducing its carbon footprint throughout the supply chain. The business was recognised for its industry-leading sustainability efforts this year, by both the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) and the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index (DJSI North America).
This is the second major investment in recent years at this particular site, with the first being a capacity enlargement estimated at €500,000 which facilitated accelerated growth in the market, due to the Elmo Rietschle plant being the largest manufacturer for liquid ring vacuum pumps and side channel blowers in Europe.
Other factories within the organisation have also implemented the solar technology with plans to continue rolling it out to additional branches, as part of a global strategy to mitigate climate change at both a local and national level, for generations to come.
This is just one aspect of Ingersoll Rand’s journey to achieving total carbon neutrality: other green directives scheduled for the near future include switching from gas to electrical power within manufacturing processes, such as production heating systems (a timely requirement given the recent gas supply shortages) and installing electric vehicle charge points on sites to support the expected burgeoning adoption of eMobility.
Juergen Schneyer, Operations Director, Ingersoll Rand commented: “We operate as sustainably as possible and are committed to helping our customers do the same through efficient products and production processes. When we reduce our environmental impact, so too do our customers as they are part of the wider value chain. Ingersoll Rand is incredibly proud to have been listed on the DJSI World and DJSI North America indexes, which highlight our corporate, environmental, and social goals, along with our actions to change the cultural mindset across the different industries we supply.”